This invention relates to apparatus for supporting pottery or other ceramic material to be kiln fired.
A variety of supporting apparatus exists in the prior art. For example, where articles to be fired must be protected from the environment of the kiln, structures referred to as saggers have been provided. Saggers typically are cylindrical sections each of which receives a single piece of ware to be fired. The saggers are stacked one upon the other in an overlapping arrangement whereby each piece of ware is protected by the sagger and the piece of ware above it. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 46,109.
Similarly, stacked support elements which do not afford such protection for the ware are generally triangular in shape and include interlocking lugs and seats in the top and bottom, respectively, of the remote portions of the support elements. Such support elements are referred to as cranks and kiln setters in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,877,424 and 2,881,502. Stacked supports are difficult to handle and, due to their stacked construction, require time consuming assembly prior to firing and disassembly after firing. Stacked supports also require considerable space if storage is necessary.
Known firing support structures also include arrangements where sleeves are slidingly engaged with rods which extend vertically from a base member. The sleeves include ware supporting projections or serve to support and separate shelves which in turn support the ware. Examples are illustrated in British Pat. Nos. 406,809 and 477,486. Such structures, while providing improvements over stacked supports, still present handling problems and must be handled by the base member or have locking members attached to the upper ends of the rods to prevent the sleeves from sliding off the rods. Further, if a sleeve or associated ware supporting projection is damaged or contaminated, the entire structure must be disassembled to replace the section. This is a problem since ware supporting projections are easily damaged and often replaced between firings due to such damage and potential contamination.
Another support structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,841 wherein a frame is formed by top and bottom end units which are rigidly interconnected by separating pillars. The end units include structure for receiving detachably mounted ware supporting posts which include sockets wherein replaceable projecting pins or pegs are mounted to receive ware pieces. While such frames are more easily handled due to their rigid construction, the rigid construction also tends to make the frames prone to damage which may necessitate replacement of the entire rigid frame.
It is apparent that a need exists for an inexpensive, lightweight structure which provides versatility and ease of handling for supporting articles during kiln firing.